Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Speaking Of "Common Sense" Ed

With oilsands developments proceeding at fever pitch, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is making it clear to provincial colleagues this isn't the time to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions.Stelmach said he would be encouraging a "common sense" approach to climate change issues during the annual Canadian premiers conference, which began Wednesday in Moncton, N.B.

This isn't just Alberta's boom, it's Canada's boom. Of the job growth from the oilsands, more than half is in Ontario. We'll be reminding the premier of that statistic and the issues that may follow if we don't move ahead very pragmatically."

In my view, "common sense" means an acknowledgement that you can't pollute, with no consequence, when you know that you are intentionally harming the planet. "Pragmatism" means balancing economic prosperity with environmental considerations, as opposed to Stelmach's foot on the gas, hell bent for leather, approach to tarsands expansion.

UPDATEExcellent blog entry that provides a good synopsis of where Stelmach really stands.